The NSW Police Commissioner stated that the majority of street crime can be attributed to Australia’s drinking culture.
As part of a nationwide effort to combat alcohol abuse and violence, police initiated Operation Unite on Friday night; however, they encountered a disastrous weekend.
Despite the deployment of thousands of additional officers to known trouble areas on both Friday and Saturday nights, a 46-year-old man lost his life following a confrontation outside a pub in Wollongong.
Across NSW, 737 individuals were arrested in connection with alcohol-related incidents.
Officers and paramedics responding to alcohol-related situations also faced injuries.
“Another revolting weekend, I must say—one of the numerous low points,” Mr. Scipione remarked on Macquarrie Radio
on Monday.
He noted that alcohol was a contributing factor in more than 70% of street crimes.
“We’re absolutely fed up with it,” Mr. Scipione expressed.
“We genuinely want individuals to begin taking personal responsibility for their behavior.”
“We have to keep working diligently to enforce laws and consider what further actions we must take to transform this culture.”
The issues weren’t limited to NSW alone.
In Melbourne, 132 individuals were arrested for public drunkenness; in Perth, there were 110 arrests, and South Australia saw 41 apprehensions.
Queensland accounted for 279 arrests, while the Northern Territory saw 300 individuals taken into custody, with Alice Springs alone contributing significantly.
Mr. Scipione highlighted that underage drinking is a major concern and urged people not to provide minors with alcohol.
“When we have underage children consuming alcohol, they are not obtaining it from hotels; someone is supplying them,” he stated.
Additionally, Mr. Scipione advocated for a decrease in the number of alcohol advertisements.
According to the Salvation Army, a survey commissioned for its new alcohol awareness campaign revealed that 2.1 million individuals drink solely to achieve intoxication.
